Ball-tassel for draperies and the like



July 30, 1935. J. G. SMITH BALL TASSEL FOR DRAPERIES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 11, 1954 I NVEN TOR. Js-F'H 5. SM/ TH ATTORNEY.

Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V BALL-TASSEL FOR DRAPERIES AND THE LIKE.

Application August 11, 1934, Serial No. 739,478

'7 Claims. (01. 2-218) My invention relates to trimmings for draperies, upholstery and the like, and particularly to the provision of a ball-tassel to be used in connection with or forminga part of drapery or 5 upholstery fringe.

The principal general object of my invention is to provide as a new article of manufacture, what I term a ball-tassel, namely, an ornamental object made of yarn, aportion of which is formed was a fluffy ball and another part of which is formed as a tassel, the two being united and compressed by an encircling wire or equivalent element intermediate their ends, so that when the ball strands are fluffed the upper part of the tassel strands are within the ball, with a considerable portion thereof depending from the ball.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ball-tassel of the above type, especially adapted for machine manufacture or quantity production.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ball-tassel of the above type, wherein the encircling or binding element serves also to con- 25 nect the ball-tassels to a header-strip. I

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent and will be pointed out during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a fragment of a header-strip with ball-tassels embodying my invention connected thereto; and

Fig.2 is a vertical central sectional view through one of the ball-tassels and binding member.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 3 designates a fabric header-strip formed with a plurality of depending loops 4 arranged at predetermined intervals along the strip to receive and support the ball-tassels. The ball is designated generally by the numeral 5 and the tassel which depends from the ball and which is secured thereto by the numeral 6. There may be any number of the ball-tassels on the strip and arranged in any desired grouping. However, it is not essential to the invention in its broader aspects to have the ball-tassels united to the loops 4 in the manner presently described, because the ball-tassels may be made individually and secured by means independent of the binding element to the loops or to any other supporting element either on a header-strip or other articles.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the ball 5 is formed of a plurality of strands of yarn 1; initially arranged in parallel relation, and the tassel is formed by a plurality of longer strands of yarn 8, also initially arranged in parallel relation. The groups of strands 1 and 8 are arranged relative to each other, as described in my separate application Serial No. 746,240, filed September 29th, 1934, disclosing one method'of and apparatus for forming the ball-tassels, so that an encircling member such as a wire 9' maybe bent around the groups at their approximate centers compressing each group at its center and drawing the centers of the strands 8 partly within the ball portion 5. It is not essential that the encircling member be a wire, for obviously a cord could be used to tie the groups together and to compress them at their centers in the manner shown in Fig. 2; but the use of a wire especially adapts the ball-tassels for manufacture on an automatic machine. Also, as shown in Fig. 2,

the wire 9 draws the end of the loops 4 partly within the balls 5 to connect the ball-tassels to the header-strip at the time that they are made. This is not essential as previously mentioned, because with the groups of strands l and 8 united in the manner shown in Fig. 2, a separate means may be provided for attaching the ball-tassels either to a header-strip or any other article of which the ball-tassels are to form a decorative part.

After the groups of strands I and 8 have been united by compressing them at their approximate centers with an encircling member, the yarns may be treated in known manner to cause the shorter group] to fluff out into a ball, after which the group 8 depends from the ball as shown in Fig. 1 in the form of a tassel with its upper end within the ball, or surrounded by the adjacent ends of the strands I. As the strands 1 fluff out they fold the strands 8, and maintain them folded to form the tassel B.

From the foregoing, it should be apparent that my invention provides an all yarn ball-tassel composed of a ball portion and a tassel portion united to present a symmetrical appearance; and also if desired connected by the binding member to a header-strip. Obviously, the lengths of the yarns 1 and 8 may be varied to provide larger or smaller balls and longer or shorter tassels, as well as to provide various sizes of ball tassels.

I claim:

1. A ball-tassel comprising a set of ball-strands and a separate set of folded tassel-strands of greater length than the ball strands, and a binding element securing both sets of strands together, with portions of the tassel-strands depending from the ball-strands.

2. A ball-tassel comprising a set of ball-strands and a separate set of folded tassel-strands of greater length than the ball strands, and a binding wire encircling the two sets of strands intermediate their ends so that portions of the folded tassel-strands-will depend from the ball-strands on opposite sides of the binding wire.

3. A ball-tassel comprising a set of ball-f strands and a separate set offolded tasselstrands of greater length than the ball strands, and a binding element surrounding both sets of strands adjacent their centers and compressing each set of strands at its approximate center,

whereby the upper folded portions of the tassel strands is enclosed by the ball-strands'with the lower ends of the tassel-strands depending from the ball on opposite sides of the binding element.

4. A ball-tassel comprising a relatively short set of ball-strands and a relatively long separate set of folded tassel-strands, and abinding element surrounding both sets of strandsadjacent their centers" and compressing each set of strands at its approximate center, whereby the upper end of the tassel strands is enclosed Within the ball,

with the lower ends of the tassel-strands de-- pending from the ball.

plurality of loops carried thereby, and a balltassel secured to each loop, each tassel comprising a' set of ball-strands and a separate set of folded longer tassel-strands of greater length than the ball strands, and a binding staple encircling and securing both sets of strands together intermediate their ends, with the free ends of the longer tassel-strands depending from the ball-strands.

7. As a new product of manufacture, balltassel fringe comprising a header-strip formed of textile material having loops depending fromv an edge thereof and a ball-tassel carried by each loop, eachtassel consisting of a set of ball-strands and a separate set of folded tassel-strands of greater length than the ball strands, and a binding staple encircling and securing the two sets of strands intermediate their ends and enclosing its associated header-loop.

.. JOSEPH G. SMITH. 

